Travel

In the middle of downtown LA, on the corner of Hope and 2nd Street, you can leave the present behind and take a small glimpse into the future. Staring at Frank Gehry’s Walt Disney Concert Hall easily transports you into the cityscapes of Tomorrowland, I, Robot or even The Jetsons, in vast contrast to the typical LA highrise and concrete that surrounds. Exploring the angles and experiencing something a little outta this world makes for a Saturday well spent.

“Architecture is the masterly, correct, and magnificent play of masses brought together in light. Our eyes are made to see forms in light: light and shade reveal these forms.” – Le Corbusier

I have a million pairs of denim shorts, simply because my search for the perfect fit is never ending. Some fit my waist but not my thighs, some fit my thighs but have excess room around the waist that even a belt won’t fix. This is a pretty standard problem for any hourglass woman and it's one of the many fit issues that duo Khloe Kardashian and Emma Grede have tackled with the launch of their denim brand Good American.

Built for a variety of shapes and sizes, the GA fit and comfort means no need for alterations, pinning and necessary belting. With summer around the corner, the Bombshell Blue 042 is primed to be part of my weekend uniform and was the perfect addition to our Spring trip to Coachella Valley to explore Desert X (more on this in an upcoming post). Some snap happys amongst the desert superblooms and installations below:

Growing up with In-N-Out, it was the assumed treat after volleyball and diving practice, it was my favorite food truck at school and was the destination for many a birthday party and after school hang during the 90's. I now live very close to In-N-Out's Westwood location and clearly nothings changed, it's always packed with teens and college kids from UCLA and other nearby schools.

A couple years ago when I was still living back in Australia, I heard In-N-Out was doing a pop up in Sydney. I was a little confused as to what the fuss was all about and why Aussies were so excited for a burger chain that growing up, I thought was as normal as McDonald's or Pizza Hut. The marketer in me was curious.

To Australian's, In-N-Out represents a slice of California yesteryear where summer, surf, burgers and palm trees signify a fun carefree lifestyle, which is not far off a typical Aussie ethos. Collectively Aussies love to travel, explore new experiences and definitely a good bbq burger, so when you bring an unavailably popular brand to our shores, make it in short supply, pop it up in a word-of-mouth location, you are no doubt going to create a love fest.

Most reports on the Aussie success of In-N-Out attribute it to quality product, however I think the biggest driver has been the strong branding, personality and exclusivity. Most Aussies won't have actually experienced an In-N-Out burger before lining up for hours to buy one at a Sydney pop up. So what convinces them? The pop-culturally recognizable logo and brand consistency have helped the company uphold it's claim to that 50's summer lovin feel, making it the experience unique to Australians. Of course quality product is what will keep your customers coming back and In-N-Out literally has this in the bag with a simple All-American menu and widely known "secret" one. Thanks to social media reach, this family run business has global fans, that whilst they can only tangibly reach the product when they are on California soil, are still dedicated and keep the company's 3 million strong social fanbase going stong.

Planning a fun long weekend escape to the desert is usually pretty easy… said no one partaking on this particular trip :/ My beautiful sister turned 30 and with both of us living on opposite coasts, we decided to plan a long overdue sister trip to one of our bucket list destinations. Agreeing on Arizona's painted desert we set off to explore Sedona with side trips to Antelope Canyon and Horseshoe Bend. From the moment I stepped onto the plane that Friday afternoon, everything pretty much went wrong in a series for fairly comical events, resulting in an extremely memorable, funny, magical, certainly awe-inspiring adventure, that I can definitely say ended up the highlight of 2016 (yes it's taken me that long to post this :/ ).

Murphy's Law is a bloody nuisance of a phenomenon. In short, a series of delayed/missed flights, an unexpected 6 hour wait in Phoenix Airport for Farrin to arrive at midnight and a then two a half hour zero visibility drive through the desert, was just the start. The midnight desert drive resembled what I would imagine space travel is like, a vast black expanse of who knows what... we literally could have been passing by waving aliens, Area 51 or simply the side a cliff, we had no clue what we were passing by. At one point I accidentally turned off the headlights in search of the highbeams and legit think we disappeared from Earth for a good few seconds...

Our 3am arrival at our Flagstaff motel was greeted with a very dark and quiet reception area. Before we started arguing as to who was going shotgun! the back seat of the car to sleep, I thankfully decided to give the motel a ring. Luckily a very sleepy night manager left his comfy chair-post to let us in. Getting a couple of hours sleep, we set off at 7am for our 3 hour drive to Antelope Canyon which ultimately made our series of unfortunate events sooo totally worth while.

Formed through flash flooding these almost moltan-like slot canyons were named for the original Antelope that occupied the area. One of the most amazing geological experiences I've had and a definite recommendation for anyone travelling to the area.

Tips:

Get there an hour earlier than you expect. The canyons are on Navajo land and can only be accessed via tour guide. With the volume of cars and tourists trying to get checked in, your best/safest bet is to get there early to avoid missing your tour time.

Try to get a 10am - 12pm tour time. This is the best time to see light streaming in for all sources, illuminating the caves.

Wear comfortable shoes, light clothing and bring water. It's HOT out there. The tours generally provide water but it's always good to have your own stash on hand.

Expect to wait 45 mins to access the canyons after the tour starts. Due to the amount of people visiting every year, the wait to access the canyon can be long. Each tour group has around 10 - 20 people and the canyons for the most part are a single file deal.

Try to book tours as early as possible. Tour times book out quickly so if you can try to secure a few weeks ahead then you'll have the best options for times. General tour prices vary from $20 - $60 and Photographic Tours (these tours are longer and generally smaller in size) are around $40 - $300 (time of year and time of day fluctuations).

There was a moment here, just standing on the edge of such great expanse where clarity and alignment exists. It's hard to describe but it's surreal and something I won't forget in my lifetime.

Tips:

It's an approx 1.2 mile hike to the bend from the parking lot. Comfy shoes, light clothing and water are a must. There isn't any shade so a hat would be good aswell.

The view is breathtaking so bring your best camera. You'll be battling crowds to get a clean shot but most people are there for the same thing and are respectful of the photographers code ;)

Sedona has been on my bucket list for some time now. The pinky purple, terracotta hues of the painted desert make for some of the most breathtaking views I have ever seen. The magnitude of driving amongst the red rock buttes, contrasted with the lush greenery of the forests between, give an almost otherworldly feel and an understanding of why so many make the pilgrimage for clarity.

In the quick day and a half we had, we managed to squeeze in a beautiful dinner, cocktails by the hotel pool, town exploration, hiking and some spectacular views:

Vintage, art, graffiti, flea markets, high end, budget wares and a whole lot of personality. Melrose Ave is as diverse as Los Angeles itself, a street art gallery in the most literal sense and definitely my favorite spot for finding some of the most unique pieces in both my wardrobe and home. On the first Sunday after probably the most controversal election in US history, we distracted ourselves by spending the morning drinking coffee, people-watching, roaming with the camera, capturing elements of both the mainstay and new political art and reflecting on the relative quiet after what was a very noisy week.

I haven’t done a fashion post in aggeeeeessss, so a weekend getaway to San Francisco was the perfect backdrop for my end of summer (but still in seasonal denial) wardrobe addition. I love anything that is a little different and with the pop color print of this off shoulder top being so Picasso like, I felt a little less regular in my jeans and top combo.

Palm Springs has really become a theme for me this year, a great way to escape the city for a bit of creative soul searching, desert wandering and Joshua Tree exploring. This particular trip was made extra special by the addition of alternative perspective made possible by DJI's newest drone the Phantom 4.

Really the last thing you want to do amidst some of the most inspiring surrounds is to crowd around an iPad... but in this case that's exactly what we did. Captivated by the birds-eye footage unfolding in front of us, the Phantom (or Lillie, as I've come to affectionately call her, I've decided it makes her sound less creepy) had us soaring the heights over and through Joshua Tree's baron and rocky terrain, capturing sunsets, color and one expansive magnitude. It was Hot-Air-Balloon-Amazing to stand firmly planted, yet feel miles high.

I'm currently working on an extended cut of the video we put together. However in the meantime, the short clip and imagery below will give you a little insight into our afternoon spent amongst the trees, exploring corners and roads less travelled, all under a painted desert sky.

The Hollywood Sign: the original starlet, the most popular permanent resident of Los Angeles since 1923, one of the most recognized logos worldwide and a beacon of industry hope for all those the she looks down on. Being the Hollywood history fan that I am, on a recent Griffith Park hike I realized I actually didn't know a whole lot about this icon, other than some vague historic reference to Hef. So with a little Googling and a bit of HollywoodSign.org stalking, I've put together a short history and some fun and interesting facts on this original star.

Firstly the sign as we know it today is actually missing four letters from it's original unveiling. Created as an illuminated advertisement (costing $21,000) for luxury real estate in HOLLYWOODLAND, the 50 foot high letters shone bright over the city, with over four thousand light bulbs to boot. Expected to last just a year, the sign garnered enough attention that it remained in place until 1949 when in a state of disrepair, the City of Los Angeles Parks and Recreation was forced to rebuild the sign, leaving off the last four letters, creating the recognizable HOLLYWOOD as we see it today.

By the time 1978 rolled around, the sign had again deteriorated due to termites, arsonists and a tumbled down "O". In a bid to preserve the town's namesake, Hugh Hefner stepped in and hosted a large fundraiser to help raise the $250,000 to completely refurbish the sign. The event contributed $45,000 to the bill and the rest was collected through individual sponsorship of each letter at $27,500 a piece:

Once the funds were raised, the old sign was completely demolished leaving Los Angeles without their biggest icon for three months, a first for the city since 1923. Unveiled live on Hollywood's 75th Anniversary to a 60 million wide television audience, the sign now stands 45ft high and 450 ft long and is the sight we see on the hills above Hollywood today.

Whilst putting together this piece I came across a bevy of fun articles, all giving snippets and insights into the sign's more interesting past. Here are some of the more fun facts I found:

- Out of everything that could happen to the Sign you wouldn't think being hit by a car would be one of them. In 1928 the Sign's caretaker Albert Kothe had had a bit too much to drink and drove his Ford Station Wagon of the side of the cliff just above the sign, rolling down and crashing into the "H". Luckily Albert was not hurt however both the Ford and the "H" were destroyed.

- In 1932, having not achieved the fame she desired since moving to Hollywood, distraught young actress Peg Entwhistle, climbed to the top of the "H" and flung herself off, falling to her death.

- The Sign was designed by an English artist named Thomas Fisk Goff who had relocated to Los Angeles and opened the Crescent Sign Company.

- Over the years, the sign has had many pranksters wreak havoc with the letters. In 1976, prankster Danny Finegood hung black and white curtains over the last two “O’s”, changing it to read “HOLLYWEED” in commemoration of the relaxed marijuana law in California.

- The Hollywood sign has more security than any of it's Hollywood celebrity counterparts. Having taken it's fair share of hits over the years, the Sign has a specially-designed security system that even the Department of Homeland Security was involved in. Security involves razor wire, infrared technology, 24 hour monitoring, motion sensors, alarms and helicopter patrols.

- For those that aren't able to experience the Sign close up, webcams have been put in place to allow Internet visitors to see the sign 24/7.

- In 1940, Howard Hughes bought 138 acres west of the Hollywood Sign with the intention of building a mansion for himself and then girlfriend Ginger Rogers. The plans were abandoned after Hughes and Rogers split leaving the land untouched until it was sold to a Chicago-based investment firm. In a bid to preserve the area, a number of studios, foundations and actors raised the $12.5 million asking price to insure it is kept as protected parkland.

On that last note, if Mr Hughes had gone ahead with his original plans, we may have seen development popping up along the lines of this:

Imagined by international developers Bayarch

Thank goodness for that Hughes/Rogers breakup or we may not have had the continued chance to hike the Sign's spectacular views, as we do today!

For a more complete rundown, best Sign viewpoints or even to donate to the Hollywood Sign Trust which ensures the upkeep, head over to hollywoodsign.org.

There is a romance, a connectivity to the surround that contrasts with your own sense of singularity. The day’s harsh reflection dissipates leaving a warm glow and gradual end, not unlike the slow close of a music box. This is a Joshua Tree sunset, my experience, so final, so reflective and so full of color.

Taking the long weekend to escape Los Angeles and get some much needed desert energy, we ended up here under a pink and purple sky, exploring and taking a moment in time to create memories.

Santa Monica. There’s not a whole lot I need to say here as I’m sure you’ve heard of that little beachside town that has been the home, location and subject of the countless books, movies, bucket lists, TV shows, historical events, shopping destinations, famous hotels, restaurants, worldwide personalities and of course the pier - it's kind of famous ;)

I live approximately 15min away from the SM beach front and I get down there as often as I can to shoot, beach or shop, however it has been a very long time since I've had a chance to actually explore. Partnering with the Wyndham Hotel at the Santa Monica Pier, I got the chance to not only get away from city life for the weekend but to get out and enjoy Santa Monica as a visiting vacay-er.

You know when you are holidaying its all about location right? Well you can't get much better than the epic frontage at the Wyndham - literally across the street from the pier and 3rd St Promenade, you have world class shopping and attractions right on your doorstep.

Newly renovated, the friendly staff were super helpful and accommodating making it perfect for the avid traveler, families, tourist or weekender (like myself). The hotel not only offers an amazing location and comfortable surrounds but a great concierge service that will organize bike hire (a local favorite along the beach walk), beach towels, restaurant recommendations/reservations and if you are into yoga - epic beach sessions by the seaside. Added bonus - it's also a puppy/pet friendly hotel! My gorgeous Staffy girl Coconut was invited to come along but unfortunately she lives back in Australia (missing her dearly!). For those whose pets aren't worlds away - the Wyndham is as much an escape for your furbaby as it is you. :)

My favorite part (apart from the beach yoga!) was actually the room service. Being in marketing, I'm such a sucker for packaging and aesthetics, so when my morning breakfast came parceled picnic style, this actually motivated me to get out of my comfy bed and onto the beach to enjoy morning coffee and eggs under the sun.

From Snapchats to iPhone shots, I had so many photos from my Wyndham weekend that I put together a photo diary of what I got up to:

Heading Santa Monica way!

Suite life ;)

Unpacking unpacking

Room with a view!

Hotel exploring

The closest I got to working out on a Saturday ;)

Sun dropping and room hangs

Crashing early for a night of bathrobes, chocolate and inhouse movies :)

Shooting by the pool in Reformation, Jessica Bratich and Sbicca Footwear - outfit post to follow!

Afternoon pier explores among the summer masses ;)

Down by the ocean

Sunset room hangs before heading out for Sunday night dinner.

For me, this was the most perfect quick getaway and the best way to spend a weekend at the beach without the hassle of negotiating parking, being able to walk anywhere I needed and at the end of the day coming back to the comfort, ease and friendly faces of the Wyndham Hotel. For more information, jump on their website and keep up with all the happenings via their Facebook and Twitter pages.